


Greatness From Small Beginnings

by wwe-charlie (alcrevier)



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Dates Included, F/F, I literally started loving this forbidden ship this morning, Just Bear With Me, Kinda AU, So I have no idea what it's going to include, Some Insinuation May Be Present, Strangers to Friends to Crushes, and fluff, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-08-29 13:57:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alcrevier/pseuds/wwe-charlie
Summary: [AU] It's time for Rhea to debut on RAW, but she's not alone like she's used to. Instead, she's paired with the bubbly and devious Liv Morgan ━ someone she's hardly spoken to before ━ and she's not sure how to feel about it just yet, but they'll make it work. It is business, after all. They have to make it work.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be multiple parts long, and I'm not sure where we'll end up, in all honesty, but I'm having a blast with it. It's sort-of AU in a sense that the few real, existing pictures of Rhea/Liv haven't been taken (yet), A.K.A. they've hardly spoken before.
> 
> Really, just a self-indulgent write-up now that I'm obsessed with yet another pairing, but hey, what can ya do?

_“It’s all so new,”_ she thinks.

The people, the professionalism, the sounds, lights, scents, location. They’re all so different, and _so_ unlike everything she was accustomed to when she was working NXT shows back in the United Kingdom, not to mention even more packed than when she fought through the Mae Young Classic ━ _twice_ . Each had their own quirks ━ what with participating in a high-speed NXT brand, and a well-planned tournament ━ but _this_ …

This is more than that.

And it’s not like she’s supposed to appear so thrown-off in regards to her main-roster debut. She’s Rhea Ripley, for fuck's sake. A merciless warrior to many. An unapologetic assassin to others. _Knee-shatterer_.

She smirks as she tightens her arms across her chest, reminding herself of just how undeterred she’s portrayed herself both in the ring and on social media. Of course, Tegan’s taken the brunt of those jokes, and she’d be lying if she said the girl hasn’t been a good sport about it. She’d also be lying if she claimed that she didn’t feel an occasional pang of guilt for using a genuine, _painful-_ looking leg-break to her heel-persona’s advantage, but then reminds herself that it’s business.

It’s always business.

That’s why, earlier today, when she was sent word that, for her debut, she’d be teaming with Liv Morgan, the Riot Squad’s infamous, hyperactive jokester, she decided against questioning management’s decision aloud, or even merely shake her head at the idea. It didn’t stop her from internally reacting ━ _immediately_ ━ with a quiet _“For what fucking reason?”_ and, truly, she’s surprised she was able to bite her tongue, in the first place. After all, Liv already has teammates, or girls to watch her back, and Rhea’s nearly positive that they’re _also_ questioning the decision. She supposes that it could be due to the Riot Squad’s stale gimmicks, being less than receptive when they’re together because they pull the same stunts over and over again. They haven’t been dull to watch, though; they just need a little shove, or a little more heel-tactic.

And that’s where she comes in.

But it’s not all three of the Riots that she’s teaming up with.

And that’s where she gets _confused_.

Because, until this point, she’s proven she’s a lone wolf, and she’s never less than surpassed expectations of management behind the scenes. Rhea recalls all the hugs she’s received once passing those curtains, mostly from Hunter, and she likes to think they were ━ in part ━ from Triple H, himself, the King of Kings, coming out to condone her on how much of an impact she’s made. She’s always admired him, and that’s one thing she hasn’t cared to stash away when pretending to be cold-hearted. If anything, he’s like a father-figure in her eyes ━ not just to her, but to most, if not all, of the superstars behind the scenes ━ and earning his constant approval is one of the main goals she wishes to achieve within her time in WWE.

That’s part of the reason why she didn’t outright question management’s decision to stick her with Liv; she trusts what they’re trying to do, especially because she heard it was Hunter’s idea and proposal that swayed everyone else. They have something up their sleeve, and, although she can’t necessarily see what they’re trying to do, she has to trust in them. Rhea _does_ trust in them.

But that didn’t stop her from confiding in her friend, Reina, about management’s decision, just hours before the show. Usually, Rhea’s work never played into conversations with people; she sticks to the script, goes out, kills it, heads back through the curtain, and that’s that. Usually, she leaves it all in the ring. Usually, social media is the only outcry she utilizes.

This time was different, and she couldn’t help but blurt out a sudden _“I’m not even sure if this is just for tonight, or…”_ which she followed with a twisted type of chuckle ━ more incredulous and baffled than anything ━ and the explanation: _“Our characters are pretty much as opposite as you can get.”_

And she hopes it wasn’t unprofessional of her to practically admit that she has no idea what she’s doing with this new pairing ━ even if she didn’t say it to management, directly. But it’s better to own things rather than to ignore them and pretend, isn’t it?

So, Rhea admits it: she has no clue what she’s doing. She has no clue what she’s doing or _why_ because, as far as she remembers, she and Liv have hardly crossed paths outside of the ring, even less within it. Conversation? Next to none. Personalities? Conflicting.

How is Liv taking this? How is she going to be once they’re in front of the universe, coming out with someone she’s hardly spoken to ever? With someone who isn’t her fellow Riots?

How is _she_ supposed to act with Liv? Friendly? Casual? Normal? Entertained? Confused? _Forced into this_?

In the end, she knows this is just another day at the office.

 _“Stay true to your own character,”_ they say. _“Unless we tell you otherwise, stay in normal character and live it.”_

Rhea chuckles where she stands in front of the TV in an otherwise-empty room, reciting Liv’s mantra to get into the right mindset.

_“Ya only Liv once.”_

But, maybe not. Because maybe this really is going to be an ongoing thing, and she’ll “Liv” more than once, and maybe she just has to stay true to her own character while dealing with the fact that she’s no longer a lone wolf.

“Rhea, you’re up.”

Her eyes look up to see a man with a headset peering into the room. She nods and he slinks away. Instantly, on cue, her jaw tightens and she rolls her shoulders.

It’s showtime.


	2. Chapter 2

“Showtime,” Rhea repeats, more so to herself.

Her eyes bore into the black curtain, just steps behind where she’ll be received by the WWE universe. Of course, they’ve proven to be polarized when it comes to her. Some people enjoy a bad girl ━ a superstar who opposes heroes and gives them a run for their money, or someone willing to get anything done, no matter the cost. On the flip side, younger kids usually don’t react fondly to her presence in the ring ━  _ definitely  _ not after what she did to Tegan’s leg, or what  _ Tegan’s leg _ did to Tegan’s leg, but Rhea took the heat, nonetheless. It’s all part of the game, though, and it’s something she’s proud of; as a performer, everything you do is in the name of getting a reaction, whether it’s good, bad, a mix, but  _ never  _ neither. 

Being handed silence is the wrestling form of a pink slip, and you might as well pack a bag ahead of time. 

The first handful of notes to her theme song hit, and she can already hear a majority of the arena getting to their feet with what sounds like a rolling stomp. Standing there, still behind the curtain, she can’t remember if the audience was told ahead of time that she’d be debuting; the normal, cocky, “Rhea Ripley” part of her muses that she would’ve earned a bigger pop if she was a surprise participant, but it doesn’t really matter, anyway.

She swallows thickly, then rolls her shoulders again.

_ “This isn’t anything new,” _ she reminds herself.  _ “Don’t let the nerves creep in now.” _

So, she doesn’t, and her hands reach for the curtains’ fabric to push through, paving her way along the short area until she’s in front of a sold-out crowd that’s absolutely booming. Her mouth remains in a straight line as she glances around, taking it in before nodding to herself, then doing her signature foot-stomp atop the ramp to get an even-bigger scream from the masses. 

Still, Rhea hasn’t even glanced down toward the ring, but, when she finally does, the sight is unexpected.

Ahead, she stares at Liv’s former teammates, Ruby and Sarah, paired up and ready to rumble against herself and her new, jumpy teammate ━ A.K.A. the third musketeer of their old group.

Suddenly, she understands: she’s Liv’s insurance policy, and whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen. 

She blames herself for the mild shock that courses through her blood ━ the shock that luckily doesn’t cause fault in her tough facade ━ as she starts to pace along the ramp like a blood-thirsty predator set to kill. She blames herself for not knowing that she’s part of a feud between Liv and her former on-screen ━ and probably off-screen ━ best friends, people who have been like her  _ family _ . 

It’s forever been a part of her ritual to not follow the brand she’s about to perform on, a tactic primarily used to keep her mind free of distractions and history between other fighters. God forbid she somehow appears biased in the crowd’s eyes, like if one of the babyface-aligned individuals was ambushed by someone of their past, and her humane sympathy makes an appearance that causes her to hesitate. Hell, she  _ does  _ feel things, no matter how edgy she appears to everyone else. Shattering that image is something she can’t risk, though, not when she has this much momentum.

Her pacing stops when her music is cut, and she raises her chin with a sick smirk flashed toward Ruby and Sarah, like this was the whole plan.

The plan, remember? The plan she didn’t know existed until early this morning.

An unfamiliar, upbeat yet accurate-for-Liv theme hits behind her, stage lights alternatively blue and pink as a new entrance video plays on the tron above the ring. She tries not to look, holding her focus hostage so she doesn’t give it away that this is so,  _ so  _ new. On the other hand, maybe the crowd also wonders why this duo is suddenly paired up without any build, but, then again, the way they rise to their feet for the blue-tongued Liv makes her lose her train of thought.

_ “Am I babyface now?”  _ she can’t manage to hide the scowl that crosses her lips, so she peers over her shoulder with a slowness about the motion, and Liv emerges from the back.

Her hair’s returned to platinum blonde, and she’s doing her signature one-foot-two strut until they’re side to side, looking at each other with Liv’s “shall we?” type of troublesome grin opposing Rhea’s face that’s settled into a “let’s do this” attitude.

She can tell this is uncharted territory to Liv, just as much as it is to her. Here the short blonde stands, only feet away from being face to face with the girls she’s called family since the trio debuted together what probably feels like ages ago, and she’s doing it side-by-side with her five-foot-eight, stone-faced, stud-wearing insurance policy. 

The main reason she can tell it’s getting to Liv, though, is because the blonde is less peppy than usual ━ a little less troublesome, or jumping at the bit to get under one’s skin. Despite never speaking before, Rhea has still viewed Liv’s entrances plus a match or two ━ mostly pay-per-view matches ━ and she’s always been the less serious of the three, often piggybacking onto Sarah, clinging hard as she’d be carried to the ring. 

Now, as Liv is faced by her former teammates with a new mercenary, her attitude has shifted, and Rhea feels it’s up to her to make sure she doesn’t slip a little deeper, or get caught up in her thoughts entirely. 

So, with another glance at each other, an unspoken conversation between two strangers in one company with a lone purpose, they begin trudging down to the ring together, all while Ruby and Sarah put on their bravest, “bring it on” taunts through gestures and sick words. 

Rhea smirks again, now walking in front of Liv until she’s on the apron, holding onto the ropes, and her partner remains behind her. The crowd gets a “yes” chant going before the match begins, and it’s ━ once again ━ uncharted territory, this time for Rhea, particularly knowing this isn’t the main event for the night, and they’re on an ordinary episode of  _ RAW _ . 

She makes sure she pays no mind to it, however, and steps through the rope to come face to face with Liv’s two former teammates until Sarah pushes Ruby behind her and steps forward with intention to size her up. Rhea looks down, then up, then smiles and takes a step back with a laugh. 

If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she’s Sarah’s replacement in Liv’s corner, but  _ no one _ does brute strength and harsh attitude better than Rhea does. 

_ “Another case of designer versus generic,”  _ she muses, and another smug grin comes across her mouth as she spreads her arms out to taunt Sarah who’s now stationed in the opposite corner of the ring. 

Liv is finally on the apron at the post of their corner, right behind Rhea who rubs her thumbs on her palms and gets ready for the fight. 

The bell rings.

She’s about to walk to the center of the ring ━ about to go toe-to-toe with Sarah ━ when, much to her surprise and for the first time tonight, she hears Liv behind her. The girl screams jabs and low-blows at her former friends, holding nothing back now that their feud has come to fruition, and Rhea still wonders who turned against whom.

“You two are  _ nothing  _ without me,” she sneers at the girls on the other side of the squared circle. “You never have been!” 

Meanwhile, Ruby tries her best to keep Sarah’s emotions in check, her feet standing on the bottom rope as she leans over into her teammate’s ear. 

“Don’t let her get under your skin. She’s as fake as the blonde on her head.” 

Ruby yells the last part of it, and the comment almost earns a snicker from Rhea, though she just quirks an eyebrow and waits to fight. By now, Rhea understands her place; Liv trash-talks, while she does all the heavy-lifting without a word. Oddly enough, she’s okay with being the muscle for someone like Liv; being someone’s protector ━ someone’s guard dog ━ is new, but it’s certainly not unwanted. If they can get themselves over with the crowd ━ this odd, spur-the-moment team ━ then, who knows, maybe they’ll have brighter things in their future.  _ Together _ . 

“Just the same as Sarah’s ‘Viking blood,’” Liv shouts back before her blue tongue is bitten between her teeth in amusement, and, this time, Rhea cracks a big smile as if to say “Oh,  _ shit _ .” 

_ That  _ was impressive.

That was also the final straw in their back-and-forth verbal war, too, because Sarah immediately screams out and runs at Liv on the apron, but not before Rhea dogs her with a takedown followed by a flurry of punches.

The following ten minutes are no less brutal. Sure, Sarah and Ruby find their rhythm for a bit, and, sure, they get in a few good shots, good moves, good combinations, but, in the end, Rhea and Liv pull it off with an intentional disqualification. In the end, she’s still a heel ━ in a way, so is Liv ━ but they’re damn good at it, and the universe appears to love it, judging by the roar they gave when Liv knocked Ruby off the apron and slammed her into the steps. Not to mention by the way they rocked when she, herself, got Sarah on the ground in the corner of the ring, stomping on her ━  _ way  _ past the count of the ref ━ and ultimately earning their disqualification.

_ “That’s for Liv,”  _ she wanted to toss the insult down to Sarah, hoping someone in the audience saw what she said before making the moment go viral. 

Instead, she posed over Sarah’s slumped body in the corner, and she raised her chin once more before pushing the girl’s arm away from her foot as if the broken body part was dirtying her boots. Instead, she exits the ring and stands at the bottom of the ramp, Ruby just now sliding onto the mat to pull Sarah into her arms. The two teams make vicious eye contact, Rhea giving them a curt, “we’ll be seeing you again” nod as Liv makes an emphatic crying motion at them.

It isn’t until Rhea turns around to walk up the ramp that she remembers they haven’t been a team for longer than fifteen minutes, and the trigger to remind her is pressure of two hands on her shoulders before Liv is on her back.

Rhea stops in her tracks and quickly unties the smaller girl’s legs from around her waist, gently setting her down like she’s a child.

“No, we don’t do that,” Rhea keeps her signature, belittling grin on her face as she says it, putting her hands out in front of her and shaking them to let Liv know she’s serious.

_ “Stay in normal character and live it.”  _

The words float through her mind, and it’s as if they move through Liv’s, too, because ━ in true, Liv Morgan fashion ━ a giant, emphasized pout pulls the girl’s lips downward and her eyes sparkle with rejection, like a kicked puppy.

It’s enough to make Rhea’s jaw clench in order to hold herself together, and she stares at Liv for a few seconds more before managing to ignore the pout, shake her head, and walk back up the ramp with purpose.

They’re through the curtain soon enough, and she’s already earning smiles and thumbs-up from multiple people who pass by. Rhea’s about to walk back to the dressing room to clean up a bit when she realizes that she should probably wait for her new partner ━ or at least compliment her on the match and the palpable, hateful tension out there ━ so she turns around.

Liv emerges a second later, absentmindedly playing with a few strands of her hair. 

“Good job out there,” Rhea pushes herself to say, and it comes out a little more awkward than she’s experienced ever before.

“Oh,” Liv blinks hard and smiles big, like she’s the embodiment of pink sunshine and cotton candy, “you, too.”

“I wasn’t sure how it’d go, but…” her statement drops off. “I think we can make this work,” it’s accompanied by squinted eyes and a smile.

“You  _ think _ ?” now, she sounds like she’s teasing the girl in front of her, like she’s digging for something more, or a reason as to why it  _ wouldn’t  _ work. 

Rhea just looks at her, confused but not ready to roll over to appease her new partner’s mind games. 

“So, really… no piggyback rides?” the shorter girl raises her eyebrows as her smile turns a shade devious, playful, and Rhea wonders if she’s someone who stays true to their character no matter where they are.

“I don’t do piggyback rides,” she reinforces; if Liv was going to keep in character forever, then so would she. 

Liv presses her tongue to her inner cheek, still entertained. 

“We’ll see about that,” the challenge is set, right before Liv seems to calm down. “See you around.”

“Yeah,” Rhea frowns with a narrowed, dumbfounded gaze as the other girl walks around her and down the hall. “See you.”

What the hell just happened?


	3. Chapter 3

Here we are: match number two as the dynamic duo of… 

Rhea and Liv? Liv and Rhea? 

Does it matter?

Rhea lowers her chin to the apron with her hands grasping the edge, keeping an eye on her partner having her first singles match against Ruby. Such as everything in the business, it’s scripted, and,  _ man, _ is it scripted to get rough at times. The match has only been going on for five minutes, but the two have already had three breaks in the fighting just to taunt one another, poke each other’s shoulders, and then, one time, Liv took a cheap shot with a slap across Ruby’s face. All the while, Rhea licked her teeth in a menacing way while smiling, and Liv showed off for the crowd. Like usual, they reacted with a mix, but the decibels have grown since the week before, and Rhea would presume the masses are impressed with how Liv has improved as a performer in the ring.

Admittedly, following last Monday, Rhea went back to the hotel and searched around the Network for some of Liv’s matches when she was connected to the Riot Squad. She felt odd for doing it, as she normally doesn’t care and, again, hardly pays attention to the brand she’ll be performing on, but she felt it was imperative. After all, she had no idea who she was partnering with in the girl known as Liv Morgan ━ aside from her infamous, trickster gimmick.

She felt even more odd when she ran into Liv the following day, the two passing through the same town as they readied themselves for the next show’s location. For starters, it’s not like you’d simply tell someone ━ not even your wrestling partner ━ that you went home, sat in your pajamas, and watched endless videos of their craft, just to know what you’re getting into. And, if that wasn’t enough to make her feel awkward and keep her smile tight on her face, the fact that ━ outside of the ring, in public ━ Liv tends to wear the cutest, nerdiest pair of glasses, and Rhea was  _ not  _ expecting it. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to see those glasses more often, though, and something tells her Liv detected a hint of softness below Rhea’s surface. Did she know why? Who knows, but Rhea allowing her resolve to crack so easily with her new partner ━ after being that lone wolf for so long ━ wasn’t on her list of things to do for the day. 

Nevertheless, their passing conversation was short and sweet, despite Rhea’s extraordinary talent for getting tongue-tied around her new partner, like when she said she was heading to the arena to meet with management, pointing in the opposite direction of where the show would be.

_ “You do realize you’re going the wrong way, right?”  _ Liv smirked, and Rhea glanced past the shorter girl, then behind herself, playing it off as if she just naturally sucks at directions.

Realistically, however, it’s just that Liv threw her off by showing up so spur-the-moment, so much that Rhea’s head began to spin for little to no reason.

In further addition to Liv showing up so randomly, Rhea’s mentions and tags have been blowing up recently, ever since the two paired up for her  _ RAW  _ debut. Apparently, the fans online have taken a major liking to the two of them, and there’s been countless fanart posted. She’s even re-posted a few with a smile on her face, constantly impressed by the talents of fans. One, in particular, caught her attention above the rest, and it’s because Liv re-posted it and tagged her in it.

It was a digital, cartoon drawing of the two of them, both sticking out their blue tongues. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t a badass rendition, but, when she ever saw her name tagged by Liv followed by three smirking emojis,  _ followed  _ by the original poster’s caption, _ “When will Rhea dye her tongue blue in support of Liv?”  _ she shook her head with a playful eye-roll. 

The following day, Liv stopped her as they walked past each other in the hallway, perking up with a happy _ “Just the person I wanted to see.” _

_ “Oh, yeah?”  _ Rhea raised her eyebrows. 

She proceeded to reach into her bag, pull out a handful of blue Jolly Ranchers, and put them in Rhea’s hands as she just stared at them in frowning confusion.

_ “In case you ever need them for, you know, a snack, or something…”  _

Before she could even form a response, Liv was skipping away, and Rhea was left to shout after her,  _ “What am I supposed to do with these?”  _ as she was stuck with two palm-fulls of candies and no pockets. 

There’s a skirmish in the ring, regaining her attention in just enough time to get ready for the next bit of the match. Liv’s under fire after she gets another cheap shot against Ruby, so she rolls under the bottom rope and runs until she’s hiding behind Rhea who folds her arms across her chest when faced with an irate Sarah and overworked Ruby.

There’s a stare-down as Rhea nonverbally dares them to take another step, Liv hiding behind her partner and catching her breath with a smile. 

_ “Insurance policy,”  _ she remembers.

Keeping eye contact with their two opponents, Rhea absentmindedly gives her hand to Liv so the girl can get up onto the apron with ease, and it isn’t until after the chivalrous act is done that she realizes what happened. 

Like always, she manages to shake it off without making her self-confusion known to the outside world, and she readies herself for the upcoming bump.

Within seconds, Liv is tossed onto the apron right in front of where Rhea stands, right before Ruby kicks the girl off the edge of the ring so the teammates both go crashing onto the floor and half into the barricade.

The ref begins to count against Liv, and Rhea puts her hand up to her nose from when she fell as a result of the collision. She’s always been a good sell when it comes to making it look like she’s shaking off a minute injury, and Liv’s always been a great sell when it comes to pretend apologies. 

“I didn’t mean to,” she holds her hands out, just to make it look like she thinks the violent Rhea will turn on her so quickly. 

Instead of being able to respond, Rhea sees Ruby rounding the ring post, coming from behind Liv. With knowledge of how the match ends, Rhea protects her new partner by pushing the girl aside, Liv’s body flying into the barricade as she, herself, takes the brunt of Ruby’s hit. It’s followed by a stampede from both Sarah and Ruby, and a count-out by the ref. 

She takes it blow by blow and manages to sell it with the help of the remaining Riots’ fury, all until Liv jumps onto Sarah’s back and puts her in a headlock. For the final move, Rhea gets up and shoves Ruby into the ring post, then, with clenched teeth, sends her into Sarah so an empty Riot sandwich falls to the ground as Liv hops off. 

Immediately, Rhea reaches for Liv’s hand and gently begins to pull her toward the ramp so they can shuffle backwards while scowling at the two kneeling near the ring. Liv continues to sell a slight rib-soreness from when she hit the barricade only moments ago, and Rhea glances downward before wrapping her arm around her partner so she can hold her up.

They back up until they’re on the stage, then the two walk through the curtain, and it isn’t until then that Rhea unwraps her arm from around the shorter girl.

Turns out: Liv’s a little less of a seller than she is frail, and her side is legitimately in pain as she winces before smiling through it. Rhea frowns, actual worry in her eyes. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

She can tell it’s not as bad as her guilt is making it seem, especially because Liv is able to stand up straight and breathe out a silly sound after a second of collecting herself, but it doesn’t erase her entire sense of feeling bad.

“Shit, I have to watch how hard I protect you next time,” Rhea chuckles as she says it, but it’s clearly apologetic. “You’re lighter than I thought.”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Liv comforts with a kind tone. “I’ve dealt with worse, trust me.”

Rhea hesitates as she glances toward the hallway, “Do you need help with getting to the locker room?”

“Okay, it’s not  _ that  _ bad,” the other girl smirks like her usual self, rolling her eyes. “And what did I  _ just  _ say about beating yourself up?”

It’s enough of a teasing comment to make her quirk an eyebrow, reverting into a hard-ass, but they both can tell she doesn’t mean it.

“I’m just trying to be nice now.”

“ _ Rhea Ripley _ ? Nice? Catch me while I fall.”

She can’t hide her laugh, but she bites her tongue between her teeth.

“With that attitude, I  _ won’t  _ catch you, and I don’t think that’ll make your side feel any better,” she leans forward to mutter the last few words, and Liv acts stunned.

“Ouch,” her voice is emphatic but equally as amused.

Their conversation is soon interrupted by the two Riots who shuffle through the curtain, visibly recovered from the beating they just took. Before anyone can take a breath, Ruby launches herself at Liv who pretends she’s suffocating until she’s let go of.

“You’re going to do that after every match, aren’t you?” Liv innocently plays with some of Ruby’s hair, then stops to look at her.

Ruby snorts in response, “I’m  _ definitely  _ going to do that after every match. We miss you.”

“I know,” it comes with a pout.

Rhea just lingers nearby, not sure if she should go back to the locker room and clean up, or if she should stick around. It’s not that she’s normally awkward around coworkers, but she hadn’t come into contact with Ruby and Sarah pretty much ever, and she already knows that  _ no one _ likes when their family is broken up ━ even if it’s just business. 

She can’t escape, though, since, within seconds, Ruby is turning to her. Her posture straightens.

“You’re taking care of her?” in her other ear, she hears Liv scoff as if it’s ridiculous she’s being treated like a puppy passed between owners, but Rhea can also tell Ruby isn’t entirely serious.

The girl’s not trying to be rude, and that’s enough to make her comfortable again.

“As much as she lets me.”

The short blonde makes a mocking face.

“Believable answer,” Sarah nods, obviously content with it.

“I’m right here!” Liv all but squeaks, but she’s ignored once Ruby and Sarah chuckle and walk off.

Rhea’s eyes follow them out, but she can feel Liv staring at her the entire time. She tries to delay whatever the conversation is that’s about to happen, particularly having the feeling that Liv wants to say something, but, to nip whatever-it-is in the ass, Rhea just laughs and turns to her.

“What are you staring for?”

“ _ ‘As much as she lets me,’ _ ” she quotes with an emphatic voice. “If you’re so keen on taking care of me, give me a piggyback ride to the locker room,” her tone turns smug and triumphant, light and cute, as if she’s won a battle before it’s begun ━ as if she’s outsmarted Rhea. 

Part of her wishes she could crack for the girl who bats her eyelashes while leaning against a cart propped up along the wall, but she refuses. She’s never been one to roll over, and why start now?

“I’m not  _ that  _ keen on it.”

The other girl’s mouth drops open before she laughs hard, “Wow.”

“Hey, I’ll fireman carry you over my shoulder, if you’d like,” it’s Rhea’s turn to be smug, grinning big and shrugging with her signature cockiness that’s normally left in the ring.

“That’s less fun,” Liv squints. “I’ll get dizzy, and then we’ll have a  _ real  _ problem.”

She rolls her eyes, “Well, with or without you, I’m going to clean up.”

Her feet take her out of the room as Liv says, “I’ll be right there,” and she pushes forward down the hall, down an adjacent hall, and then another. 

Fifteen minutes pass before she’s gone through her routine of cleaning herself up, eventually dressed in a casual outfit that looks more post-workout than anything. Her bag is packed while she kneels on the ground, just about ready to leave the arena. She straightens her back and glances around to make sure she’s set, then turns around to come face to face with none other than Liv.

Liv and her cute, dorky glasses.

“Ready to go?” the girl says with a beaming smile, head tilted to the side with her hair cascading down her shoulders.

“I…uh,” Rhea’s forehead creases in confusion. “Go where?”

“Out.”

The fact that Liv’s voice is pointed ━ like they’ve had plans made for days in advance ━ makes her eyes widen in comedy as she retorts, “We didn’t have plans.”

“We  _ didn’t _ ,” she agrees, “but we do now.”

Her comebacks are uncanny, and Rhea would, at this point, admit she’s like a fish on a hook. 

“What if I’m busy?”

“You are busy. With me,” she’s presented a convincing smile, but the girl’s voice holds something different this time ━ almost shy yet decisive.

Or maybe hopeful.

Rhea can’t find it in herself to answer, and she only stares at the girl in front of her with the same look, lips parted in curiosity, and that’s enough of a green light for Liv to regain her confidence. 

“Come on,” Liv nods toward the door, and that’s all it takes for her to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments and encouragement! It's nice hearing so many thoughts after being away from writing for a while. I'm excited to post the remaining parts of this little story, and I hope it lives up to your expectations. Obviously, I don't have a true updating schedule as I'm trying to keep this a "leisure write," but the wheels are always turning, don't worry.


	4. Chapter 4

Fifteen minutes after they departed from the arena, they’re sitting in a sports bar on the corner of a vacant street, the pair not minding the few people around them as they sit at a circular table near the wall. Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal encounter between the two without a little competition of one-upping each other, and that’s how it’s been since they sat down.

“It’s Rhea and Liv.”

“Liv and Rhea.”

“Rhea and Liv.”

“It’s crazy that you think this is up for debate,” Liv fires back with an incredulous head-shake. “It’s only fair my name comes first for our team.”

“ _ ‘Fair’ _ ?” her smile is amused, bright. “How so?”

“I’m small and I deserve more recognition,” it’s so matter-of-factly that Rhea bursts out laughing, and Liv can’t help but chuckle at her own words until she takes a sip of her drink to hide it.

“Okay, there’s absolutely  _ no  _ correlation there,” her laughter dies down a fraction.

“Maybe you’re just blind to it.”

“Sorry, not all of us have dorky little glasses to wear.”

“I happen to know you find these adorable.”

The response is so quick, so smooth that Rhea visibly hesitates with her lips only parting and her eyebrows raising. It’s like she’d gone to say something before the entire sentence checked out of her mind, and now she’s looking like an idiot who, in the end, nonverbally confirms the accusation by taking a sip of her drink.

“I knew it.”

Rhea stops drinking and swallows hard, clearing her throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Liv leans her elbows on the tall, rounded table, and she keeps the cutest, most invasive smile on her face with her eyes glistening beneath the lamp hung above them. It gets to be too much, admittedly, and Rhea just barely finds the strength to turn her misplaced nerves into a choked-out laugh as she looks anywhere  _ but  _ at her work partner. 

“We need a picture together.”

Before she can brush away the idea or merely blink, Liv is hopping off her chair and picking her phone off the table. Rhea tries her best to appeared bothered, but, in the end, her shoulders relax as Liv stands near her chair, and they’re both sliding into the frame.

“Try not to look so angry with me,” Liv giggles as she’s focusing, and Rhea frowns harder. “Okay, come on, really. This is the first picture we’re taking together, and I want it to be memorable.”

“It’ll be more memorable if it’s my true personality. Not some fake smile you made me give the camera,” she points out, and the shorter girl turns to her.

For a round of five seconds, Liv stares at her with the most serious eyes and not a hint of a smile. 

For a round of five seconds, Rhea thinks she did something wrong.

But, after those five seconds are over, a smile slowly appears on Liv’s face, and Rhea can’t help but match it inch by inch, though it’s all part of the memory when the shorter girl’s thumb presses the side button on her phone to capture the picture. Suddenly, Rhea understands she’s more devious than initially thought.

“Wow,” Rhea muses. “That was  _ some  _ trick.”

“Wasn’t it?” she beams, looking at the picture. “We’re so cute.”

“I hate to break it to you, but we’re not looking at the camera in that.”

“I know, but at least I got the memory I was searching for.”

“But that’s not something you can post.”

“Why the hell not?” her eyes go wide. “We look good. It’s cute and candid,” she lifts her chin in confidence.

Rhea keeps her mouth shut, rubbing her lips together.

“ _ Unless, _ ” Liv slides back towards her, phone in hand, “you  _ want  _ to take another picture.”

“All I’m saying is that, if you’re going to post it, we might as well be staring at the camera.”

“So, you  _ do  _ want to take another picture?”

Rhea begins to laugh hard, wanting to groan but instead saying, “You’re so annoying.”

“As if you’re the first one to tell me that.”

She’s not sure if she should chuckle again or feel guilty about it, also not sure if Liv said it through hidden, deep-rooted hurt or simply for the sake of continuing their banter, but, again, all thoughts are derailed when the girl steps in front of her. This time, Rhea forces a smile ━ luckily looking the  _ least bit _ forced ━ and the picture is taken, followed by an emphatic “Aw” from Liv.

“Let me see.”

“You can see it when it’s posted.”

“What? How is that fair?”

“Oh, so we’re talking about fairness again?” she side-eyes Rhea as she slides her phone into her bag propped on the table.

She bites her tongue and her eyes drift away, hearing a smug “Mhm” come from the girl who remains standing. It looks like she’s ready to leave with some money put on the table between them and her small bag now slung over her shoulder. Not to mention the look she gives Rhea with her eyebrows raised like the taller girl is supposed to know what she’s thinking before she says anything.

“I’m assuming you’re ready to go.”

“See, you’re catching on.”

Naturally, she shakes her head at the quip, but it doesn’t stop her from following suit and gathering her little amount of things before following Liv out the door of the bar. Admittedly, she’s happily been sitting back and letting Liv make their plans, take her places, steer conversations, and so forth. Seeing her partner out of their wrestling element has been something intriguing ━ she dares say adorable and fulfilling ━ and it’s something she’d enjoy getting to witness more often. She can tell Liv knows it, too, because she’s somehow seemed even more out of her shell than she was the first day they teamed up. She can tell Liv understands they’re still figuring each other out, but it’s clear she’s invested. 

And who knows; maybe this chemistry will carry into the ring with them, and it’ll take them further than they imagined with such a dynamic duo of a petite hell-raiser and stop-at-nothing brute.

“Thanks for hanging out with me tonight,” Liv breaks the silence as they walk along the sidewalk in the dark.

“I’d say you didn’t give me much of a choice, but I had fun,” she’s honest, flashing the girl a half-grin before paying attention to where she’s walking.

“Yeah, I’m not very good at expressing myself,” it comes through an exhaled chuckle, more self-annoyed than anything. “I usually cover it up with confidence, but then I just sound bossy.”

“Confidence is key,” Rhea muses.

“Hm, I guess. Not many people like being told where to go or what to do, though.”

“Me being one of those people,” her words make Liv glance at her, guilty. “But I’m happy you did, and I’m happy I agreed to it.”

“So, I’m  _ not  _ annoying?”

She keeps her mouth shut but with a tight-lipped smile that all but says she’s not going to confirm it. Liv bumps her shoulder, prodding and trying to pull the compliment out of her.

“You’re alright,” she finally says, watching Liv roll her eyes before groaning.

“Okay,” it’s sighed out, “I’ll take it.”

They settle into the silence disrupted by only crunching pebbles as they see their hotel in the distance. 

Rhea, meanwhile, sinks into her own thoughts of what she would’ve rathered to say just now, and that’s how nice it’s been getting to know Liv, or how cute she is with her glasses on, or how kind and lively she is all around.

_ “You’re alright” _ doesn’t even scratch the surface, and, truly, it’s starting to become  _ really  _ hard to ignore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These upcoming two chapters are probs a bit short, but it's fluff galore in these trying times of WWE, so I hope that's worth a lot!


	5. Chapter 5

A little over a week until the next PPV show.

A little over a week until the next PPV show, where the (still unnamed) dynamic duo will be going head to head against Liv’s former friends in a no disqualification, no count-out match. 

It’s only been announced quite recently, and there’s no question they’ll be slotted near the bottom of the card ━ perhaps even as the pre-show, if the company plans the other matches to be longer than normal ━ but knowing they’ll be tagging for a PPV match is incredible. Since the beginning of this oddly formed tag-team, the audience has been nothing but receptive, and their feud has sparked some good heat for a general feeling.

Even now, as Rhea stands across from Sarah and they’re both catching their breath while making menacing eyes at each other, she’s sure the tension is palpable ━ and not in a synthetic, “wrestling is fake” sense. Truth be told, she’s heard some rumblings from the minimal podcasts she’s stumbled upon, and how people theorize there’s genuine dislike between Rhea and Liv’s former teammates. She had to laugh at it, though, because of how sweet both Ruby and Sarah are when they’re not in character, but that’s ━ once again ━ just business.

Outside the ring, Liv rests her elbows on the apron and hypes Rhea when need be, and occasionally taunts Sarah so her partner can get in a sneaky pin. The match has continued, despite those attempts, and Ruby’s tried doing the same from Sarah’s corner. 

It’s almost time to finish it, but not before she walks toward Sarah who meets her in the middle of the ring, and the girl doesn’t waste time shoving Rhea, and also swings right for her cheek. Instinctively, Rhea falls onto her ass but rolls out of the ring in a swift motion, Liv quick to comfort her partner who holds onto her jaw and scowls at Sarah.

Similar to a time or two prior in the match, Liv leans in close to Rhea’s ear. Previously, she’d done it only to make a showing as if she’s telling her stronger counterpart to sic ‘em, but, this time, Rhea’s biggest task is to pretend her teammates words don’t affect her in the normal way they would.

“You have plans again after this.”

The whispered statement registers immediately, and Rhea has to refrain from whipping her head toward her partner as if to ask for her to repeat it. Normally, she’d stray away from being so risky or unprofessional during work, particularly for the  _ exact  _ reason of messing up due to personal reasons, but she can’t necessarily help it. Besides, luckily for them, the sweet nothings whispered into her ear only make her feel a little more bold, a little more powerful as she stares down Sarah, and Rhea’s smile grows like that of the Grinch. Again, she pretends Liv gave her marching orders ━ and, by all means, she really did ━ before sliding back into the ring before the ref’s count gets too high.

In the meantime, as Rhea goes back to work, Liv twirls her hair with a shade of childishness, but it’s also new. Her eyes aren’t fixated on the havoc her partner is wreaking, but her partner, in general.

Another two minutes pass before the match’s decision comes, a semi-clean (but not exactly) win by Rhea who slyly grabs ahold of Sarah’s shorts to keep her down. Ruby didn’t like that very much.

As soon as the ref’s hand comes down for the three count, Rhea is slipping out through the bottom ropes toward the ramp where Liv desperately grabs for her hand. They flash a couple of devilish smiles while backing up along the ramp, their two opponents shooting them daggers from in the ring.

Somehow, someway, Rhea realizes her arm snaked around Liv’s waist as they backed up, and the girl ends up looking at her. 

For a moment, they get lost. For a moment, they almost fuck up, and almost let their personal life bleed onto their sleek work performances. Only for a moment, though, before Liv iconically turns their silent stare-down into bigger storytelling, tilting her head with an innocent, pleading look that finally convinces Rhea of something she’d been shrugging off.

Still, she rolls her eyes at the shorter girl, but pauses and turns so Liv can clap happily before jumping onto her back. It’s just salt in the wound for Sarah and Ruby now, especially when the audience cheers for the action otherwise dubbed a simple exit with the likes of Liv Morgan.

Rhea Ripley doesn’t roll over for anyone, though, and they know that.

With the ultimate insult over with, and with the remaining Riots yelling in the ring, Rhea stands atop the ramp with Liv on her back, both posing and flat-out daring their opponents to step up.

Their segment officially ends when they’re through the curtain again, and Liv slides off of Rhea’s back with eagerness to mention it.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Rhea hasn’t even turned around yet to face the other girl, but she can tell her face is already as smug as ever, so she laughs hard while shaking her head.

“You’re ridiculous.” 

“You like it,” she says once they’re face to face, and Rhea goes to answer but her mouth merely hangs open with a laugh falling out, staring toward the doorway of the room. 

“That’s not a ‘no,’” Liv continues to pry, and something tells Rhea that she’ll never stop ━ just like when she attempted to gain the satisfaction of making her say she’s not annoying. 

Just like then, Rhea doesn’t provide that satisfaction, and instead changes the subject to ask, “Where are we going tonight?”

The answer is as quick as they come once it does, like Liv’s been thinking about it for the majority of the night ━ because she  _ has  _ ━ and, if you were to ask Rhea, she’d admit it caught her off guard.

“Come over.”

“‘Come… over’?” it’s like it doesn’t register ━ not half as much as the statement near the ring did. “Over where?”

She shrugs one shoulder like it’s obvious, “To my hotel room.”

Rhea quirks an eyebrow, “Why?”

“Because why not?” Liv counters, but it’s shaky, shades of nervousness strewn throughout and hidden by a crumbling smile ━ not to mention that “confidence” that the shorter girl explained days ago.

This time, Rhea is the one to stay smug, knowing she’s getting to the girl, like how the roles have been reversed for most of their time knowing each other. This time, she’s able to keep the upper hand, and she refuses to let it go. 

“There has to be a reason, though,” she lowers her voice. “Isn’t there?”

Liv tilts her head to the side.

“I don’t feel like going out.”

“But…?”

“ _ But _ I still feel like spending time with you, jeez,” Liv goes wide-eyed as she confesses, and clearly it’s easier to get answers from her than the other way around.

Rhea gets a little closer, drumming up some anticipation between them while leaning toward the other girl’s ear, and Liv only waits until she hears the whisper and forcibly seals her lips.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

In any other circumstance, she’d laugh at the use of her own words against her, but this is  _ heavy _ , and she can’t help but clear her throat as Rhea backs up to see the expression on her face. Initially, it’s flustered, but Liv pulls herself together within a split second of being caught, then she rolls her eyes to oppose Rhea’s newfound confidence ━ the confidence that drives the taller girl’s eyes to drift lower, then back upward.

No response comes, and, really, Rhea wasn’t looking for one, so neither of them question it when she backs up slowly and walks out of the room to leave Liv behind, but not before taking a final glance over her shoulder as if to beg the question  _ “Are you coming?” _

Evidently, their comfort levels are beginning to create an interesting type of friction, and, before wasting too much time standing around, Liv follows with intent to capitalize on it. 


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re crazy if you think I’m helping you pick that up.”

Rhea raises her eyebrows at Liv who, minutes ago, reacted to getting teased by pelting the other girl with multiple pieces of popcorn. Of course, the claim that Rhea won’t help her clean up after their little get together ━  _ date? _ ━ only earns another three kernels being flicked at her cheek, the last piece missing and flying toward the hotel wall. When her amusement wears off, she puts the bowl on the side table.

“You’re a child,” Rhea proceeds to laugh.

“You knew that when you agreed to team up with me.”

“Actually, they didn’t give me a choice.”

Rhea runs her fingers through her hair to make sure there’s no remaining popcorn pieces hiding within the short strands, afterwards resuming her position by lying back against the hotel bed’s pillows. 

“Damn,” Liv gets out through a laugh of her own, relaxing against the comforter next to the other girl. “And here I thought you chose me.” 

Rhea chuckles, forcibly toying with her and singing out, “Try again.”

The movie in front of them rumbles on, being something they just found on the television, spur the moment. Their time together has been calming, surprisingly, the pair passing over the threshold of the room with ease as if they’d done it before. Rhea was surprised she hadn’t been more nervous, but, then again, why would she be? After all, she’s become so comfortable with the other girl that being around her is almost expected ━ like second nature, now. She can tell that Liv thinks the same, as well, judging by how casual the girl was about putting on the television without asking what she’d like to watch, then continuing to simply lounge. There was no awkwardness, and, sure, plenty would say that it’s good hospitality to ask,  _ “What would you like to watch?”  _ but Rhea finds it more sentimental knowing they’re on the same page. It doesn’t matter what they do, or say, or watch ━ as long as they’re in each other’s presence.

_ “How cheesy,”  _ Rhea mentally jabs at herself, then wonders when she became this…  _ mushy _ . 

It feels like a minute passes following her recent deflection, but, realistically, it’s only been seconds before Liv gets her retort out in the open.

“You would’ve, though,” it’s smug, paired with squinted eyes that are prying. “If given the choice, you would’ve picked me.”

“Would I have?” she matches Liv’s expression, not ready to give in.

“I think so,” her voice is sung out, raising her chin a bit.

“You  _ think _ ?” Rhea uses her words from the first day they met.

“Alright,” she turns to her, daring. “I know so.”

“That’s bold of you.”

“I am nothing if not bold.”

It’s more seductive than she originally intended, and they both hesitate. Unfortunately for Rhea, she reveals herself a little more than Liv does, and the playful hum she tried to give falls flat on her tongue. Still, she looks at the girl who’s turned to her, and her eyes float down to her lips. It isn’t until she clears her throat and returns to looking straight at the television in front of them that she’s able to refocus and brush aside the tension.

That is, if Liv were to allow it.

“Look at that,” the shorter girl’s gaze bores into Rhea’s cheek. “ _ The _ Rhea Ripley, nervous that someone’s got the better of her.”

Instead of getting under her skin, though, she chuckles.

“Am I really  _ that  _ notorious of a bad guy?” she somehow manages to ignore the second part, proud of herself for both staying strong and for the implication that she’s made a name for herself. “I’m a badass, aren’t I?”

Liv smiles.

“Don’t get a big head about it.”

“Oh, too late.”

“Cockiness will get you nowhere.”

“I think you like it.”

“Really? What makes you so sure?”

“You wouldn’t keep emphasizing  _ ‘the _ ’ in front of Rhea Ripley if you weren’t impressed by it.” 

Her quick answer stuns Liv, eyes blinking with her mouth falling open as she’s turned to. Only a curt laugh comes out before she’s able to squint and come up with her own response to being tongue-tied. 

“Being impressed and liking something are two  _ totally  _ different things.”

Rhea narrows her eyes equally as much.

“Maybe so, but you’re both impressed by it  _ and  _ you like it.”

Liv seals her lips, pausing before weakly defending, “I didn’t say that.”

“Didn’t have to,” she stares into delicate eyes, but she can tell Liv is trying to keep up with their banter as much as she’s normally able to. She’s also failing.

She watches her jaw shift with a slight smile remaining across her mouth. This time, when eye contact and the silent conversation is disrupted, it’s by Liv’s decision. 

And, this time, Rhea’s the one not letting her escape.

“Incredible,” she whispers. “ _ The  _ Liv Morgan, WWE’s  _ infamous _ , little daredevil… nervous that someone’s got the  _ best _ of her,” her voice is light at the end, clearly mocking.

Liv picks up on Rhea managing to twist her own words and confidence around on her, and she can’t find it within her to counter it. Not this time. 

Instead, she playfully rolls her eyes and ignores the comment, then licks her lips and rubs them together in thought. 

Instead, she makes a decision, and Rhea’s next comment, “What’s wrong? Blue’s got your tongue?” hardly makes it out of her mouth before her lips are sealed with a heated kiss.

It only lasts a few seconds, but it diffuses a good amount of tension between the two that’s been building since the very beginning ━ especially tonight. Neither girl can register what’s happened to lead them to this point, their former words being lost in their minds until they depart and the world comes back to them ━ but just barely. 

Liv’s eyes flutter open first, nudging her nose against Rhea’s, but the pause is only brief before the gesture is reciprocated with a gentle peck.

This time, a smile on Liv’s face is what disrupts the kiss, and she can’t help but back up before practically mouthing, “Who knew you had a soft side.”

Rhea goes to laugh but it’s more like an exhale, either way being lost when Liv stays close and whispers, “I like it,” as they can feel their lips brush.

She can’t find the strength to respond. Hell, she doesn’t even want to. Not when they both know it’s the truth. Not when they both know she’s been done for since the beginning of their partnership ━ and, well,  _ whatever  _ this is. 

So, as Rhea leans back in to capture soft lips another time ━ and another time, and another ━ she hopes her actions tonight are able to convey just how  _ true  _ Liv’s words are.

Maybe Rhea Ripley  _ does  _ roll over for some people. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry it's so short. I used to write really lengthy chapters of fics and they'd wear me down so much, so this is sort of my tester fic again before I write lengthy multi-chapters again. If that ever manages to happen. As always, though... thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Stretch, stretch, and stretch again.

Rhea rolls her neck and unwinds her shoulders, doing her normal, before-match ritual ━ this time  _ without  _ Liv by her side. It feels all too similar to the time she spent before the first match they fought side by side, but, unlike then, she’s left to deal with a personal attachment to the shorter blonde who’s being “tended to” by medical staff in the locker room.

Tonight’s segment has, thus far, gone to plan ━ or should she say it  _ didn’t  _ go to plan, which, ultimately,  _ was  _ the plan. They had been advertised for a normal tag match, the two of them against the remaining Riots in order to continue their feud into the upcoming pay-per-view. 

A backstage segment hit, though, when Liv had been stopped by Charly for a spur-the-moment interview ━  _ without  _ Rhea. She happily answered questions with her normal, underlying intentions revealed with a too-cute-to-be-innocent smile, right up until she was ambushed by Ruby and Sarah who spewed comments fueled by on-screen disdain for their former friend. Liv hardly fought back despite an effort to do so, and the backstage segment continued until Rhea heard the scuffle and ran in, scaring the two foes off while kneeling by her teammate’s side.

Another RAW match and ten-thousand commercial breaks later, a second installation to the night’s saga took place for the fans’ benefit of seeing their backstage dynamic flourish more than when they’re in the ring. Rhea stood by Liv’s side while trainers evaluated the victim of the two Riots’ heinous attack.

_ “You can’t go out there tonight,”  _ they told Liv.

_ “Yeah, like I’m going to sit back and give them that satisfaction,”  _ the sarcasm slapped them across the face, but Liv’s smug attitude lightened when Rhea next spoke.

_ “I’m not letting you go out there, either. I can deal with them for the both of us.” _

There was a softness about it, but Rhea wasn’t sure if it was all in her head. Sure, they’d been having the time of their lives outside of work ━ hell, they’re even considered a canon couple in their own bubble ━ but,  _ at  _ work, they’ve managed to keep themselves contained. 

That’s enough of a reliever to ignore the bashful smiles they sometimes share on camera before playing it off as their tag-team personality, and it’s enough to destroy the worries that Rhea holds about her hardened character crumbling.

It’s enough to remind her that she’s  _ not  _ a babyface.

Rhea takes another breath, psyching herself up just as a man pokes his head into the room and merely nods, getting the same gesture in return.

Her music hits and she waits a second or two while rubbing her tongue along her teeth, putting on a face that all but screams she’s set to kill Ruby and Sarah. After all, they injured her tag-team partner ━  _ girlfriend  _ ━ and that’s not something that flies far in her book. Had they done it when the two first started teaming up, maybe Rhea Ripley’s outrage would’ve been a little lesser, a little more brushed aside or shoulder-shrugging. Now that they’ve bonded, however, she now understands that it’s time to get personal, and, with that, she exits through the curtain.

Unlike what one would expect, though, her entrance isn’t a beeline for the ring; she doesn’t sprint down the ramp before dogging both Ruby and Sarah with one swift blow like she’d normally do. Instead, her entrance is more calculated than usual, walking out slowly and pacing for a moment. She moves like that of a serpent, all while watching the two who stand before her. 

Although it’s now a handicap match, everyone understands the weight of what it means for the newly formed team; judging by the backstage segment, it doesn’t take a genius to hazard a guess that it  _ has, _ indeed, gotten personal. Over the course of the past few weeks, the audience has been able to witness Liv and Rhea grow closer without sharing more than a few words on camera. The initial climax of that growth? Rhea allowing Liv to jump onto her back, as if they’d broken the seal of their partnership.

The second climax of that growth?

Well, it’s happening now.

Rhea slowly approaches the ring, cautiously keeping her distance and picking her spot. But she doesn’t entirely pass over the ramp’s ending threshold, tonight coming to a standstill. It isn’t part of her normal entrance. So, as she can feel eyes on her, she pauses, tilts her head to the side, and does her best Liv impression by sticking out her blue tongue.

At that, she hears the nearer crowd roar before the rest of RAW’s crowd catches onto what happened. She pays no mind to them, however ━ or at least tries not to ━ while staring into the eyes of her opponents with a massive grin on her face, the inner portion of her lips the same color as her tongue. Again, she picks her spot, waiting.

It’s just another burn going against Ruby and Sarah, the pair shouting from the center of the canvas until Rhea surprises them by sliding into the ring before the bell is sounded. Finally, she strikes.

A full-out brawl ensues between the three girls, no match ever taking place. Instead, Rhea fends off the pair with elbows, kicks, and shoves, decking them one at a time and keeping solid pace. For two minutes, she holds her own, right up until the numbers game becomes too much, and that’s when it’s time for Liv to appear.

It almost brings a smile to Rhea’s face when the crowd reacts to the hit of Liv’s entrance music, but, still, she manages to sell the beat-down from Ruby and Sarah who stay in the ring, stomping on her, until the shorter blonde slides into the fray. Liv is supporting her own arm for the most part, keeping character with the attack she fell under a few segments ago, but she helps Rhea to her feet so they’re holding down the ring together. So they show they’re the team to watch.

Liv looks at Rhea with intention to ask if she’s okay, like a normal partner would do, and it’s well-received by the crowd. They continue to eat it up, and continue to enjoy how these two, opposite characters came together to form a fiery duo that’s anything  _ but  _ random or dysfunctional. Somehow, Rhea and Liv made it work, and it’s obvious. 

The moment isn’t just that, though, because a few seconds of eye contact later, Rhea is losing herself in Liv’s soft features, and she can tell it’s mutual. Slowly, before Rhea even notices what Liv’s looking at, a thumb is rubbed against her faintly blue lips as her partner ━ again:  _ girlfriend  _ ━  tilts her head to the side. 

For a second, Rhea melts against her touch.

For a second, she’s lost in the strange limbo between between real life and who their characters are.

A second is all it takes, too.

Luckily for them, the slow motion of that second is lost when Sarah and Ruby run back into the ring and jump them from behind, hounding the two girls with blistering fists and moves that show off what it’ll be like to deal with them at the pay-per-view.

It isn’t until three more refs run out that the beating stops, and, for the first time in their tag-teaming careers, Liv and Rhea are left in the ring to watch Sarah and Ruby backing up the ramp with victorious, sinister smiles. 

Meanwhile, they stay with the attitude they’ve put on as they’re left to ache against the canvas, Rhea pulling herself toward Liv and propping the girl up so, soon, they can stand together and exit with fresh battle wounds that’ll only make the upcoming no disqualification, no count-out match far more bolstered. As far as business is concerned, they’ve done their job tonight.

They’re cheered for as Rhea helps Liv through the ropes and onto the ground, then even louder when she turns around so she can give the other girl her now-customary piggyback ride.

Finally backstage, Liv slips down from her back and takes a breath. 

“And  _ that’s  _ how you do it,” she says with a shade of cockiness.

“What are you talking about?  _ I’m  _ the one who got my ass beat by  _ your  _ former teammates before you ran out for five whole seconds,” Rhea teases.

“Don’t make it sound like you wouldn’t defend my honor any time, any day,” her voice is pointed, shuffling a tad closer before taking a breath. “I’m going to get changed, okay?”

Liv begins to walk away before she can formulate a response, but she forces out a solid “I’ll be there in a second” that ultimately earns a sweet “‘Kay” from the girl who’s already halfway down the hallway.

Rhea takes a breath, unwinding from the match. It’s not that she’s bent out of shape due to what transpired out there, but more so the fact that Liv, just now, was right: she  _ would  _ defend her honor any day, any time, and it’s nerve-wracking because this is all for show. It’s just  _ business.  _ The attack wasn’t real, and neither were the wounds. 

The protectiveness, however,  _ was.  _

She shakes her head and begins to walk; there’s no use in harping on something that shouldn’t affect her in the workplace, and she knows that. Unfortunately, the arched, teasing eyebrows Sasha and Bayley toss in her direction as they walk by don’t help her nervousness worth a damn. She knows they’re only playing with her mind, as they’re aware of Rhea’s relationship outside of the ring and, truly, everyone knows Liv’s gimmick, but there’s something…  _ off. _

_ “They saw what happened out there,” _ her thoughts scream.  _ “They saw the character break, and that means everyone else did, too.” _

Her throat grows sore, so she clears it before exhaling hard and pushing through the door to the locker room. 

There, she’s stopped in her tracks.

_ There,  _ Liv wears Rhea’s hat, and she looks damn cute doing so.

“Is that my hat?” the question fumbles out before she can stop it, wishing she didn’t sound so caught off-guard because it’s clear that it is, and it’s  _ beyond  _ clear that she likes the sight of it.

“Yeah,” Liv says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world ━ because it _ is. _ “I snatched it off your dresser this morning.”

Now,  _ that  _ memory is one Rhea didn’t need right now, so she seals her lips and tries to remove the heat that seeps into her cheeks. Liv smirks.

“Do you like it?”

Rhea raises her eyebrows at the question without verbally responding. She knows Liv isn’t expecting her to, either, by the way she flashes her a smug, “I know you’re done for” type of look.

She goes about her routine of packing her things without bothering to clean herself up. Truth be told, her mind is way too cluttered right now, almost to the point of wanting to sit on the floor and stare at the wall for the remainder of the night. Liv wouldn’t let her do that, unfortunately, and she’d even ask questions that Rhea can’t afford to answer right now. 

But why not? Why can’t she answer those questions, or why can’t Liv ask them? Where will it take them? What will it bring? 

The final one that comes to mind: what’s the use in trusting someone if you can’t be honest with them?

Rhea inhales, then exhales, and it catches Liv’s attention.

“Are you okay?”

_ “Oh, fuck it,” _ she thinks.

“Yeah, but…” hesitation breaks up her thought before the courage pushes through. “Just… what was that in the ring?” her eyes focus on Liv for the first time in a minute.

“Um…” Liv squints. “I think they’d call it a brawl.”

During the girl’s answer, Rhea stands up from where she knelt on the ground next to her bag. She now stares at the other blonde, defenses raising little by little despite her efforts to shove them down to the ground.

“No,” she shakes her head, gingerly crossing her arms, “when you… touched my lips.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah,  _ that _ ,” Rhea raises her eyebrows, rubbing her lips together as she thinks about the pad of the girl’s thumb sensually dragging across━ 

“I guess I just wasn’t expecting the, um,” Liv gestures to her own lips before trapping her tongue between her teeth for a split second, “and I… did what I thought Liv, the  _ character, _ would do.”

Rhea nods while pressing her tongue to her inner cheek, “Okay, then.”

The two words are off-putting, Liv thinks; just the way she spoke them, like she doesn’t believe them or doesn’t  _ want  _ to. Like they’re not the answer she was hoping for, actually, or like she was waiting for an apology. 

“Why?” her eyebrows furrow. “You think it was a bad idea?”

Rhea’s mouth opens and closes as her gaze drifts away from the girl in front of her.

“Not ‘bad,’ per se.”

“ _ ‘Per se’ _ ?” now, she’s irritated at the lack of direct answer. “Are you mad about it?”

“Not mad, no. I was just… caught off-guard,” the defense is weak, but the smile it comes with is even weaker ━ practically see-through ━ and her following statement is no better. “I’m hoping the crowd didn’t notice. Sasha and Bayley did, but…”

“I’m not seeing the issue.”

The rejection in her eyes is colored blood-red, and Rhea wishes she never said anything, in the first place. But she’s too deep now, and, from here-on-out, honesty is the best policy.

“Our characters are different,” Rhea starts, but makes sure to not sound like she’s belittling the girl or lecturing her on how to act. “You’re this active, ‘do or die’ person that people  _ love  _ despite you being a bad guy.  _ Me? _ I’m━”

“ _ The _ Rhea Ripley,” there’s sheer bite to it, and Rhea is taken aback.

She’s never been good at dealing with her own sense of rejection or even personal attacks. In fact, this is one of those times where she absolutely  _ sucks  _ at it, and her reaction comes in the form of a choked-out laugh that’s a mixture of bitterness and upsetedness at whatever implication is being laid in front of her. 

“What?” she questions what the other girl means, but it’s brushed off.

“Nothing, just forget it,” Liv sounds tired, jaw tightened. “You’re right, this is a business and I need to learn to filter my actions.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I mean,  _ yeah, _ it is a business, but━”

“I have to go.”

“Liv, come on,” still, she’s laughing slightly, and it only makes Liv angrier.

“Please,” Liv holds her hands away when she sees Rhea reaching for one, ultimately appearing like she’s pushing the girl away while taking in a deep breath. “Please… just let me walk away right now.”

The pain in her voice shakes and gets Rhea in a vise-grip, instantly never wanting to hear the sound again. Until now, Liv has been undeterred or unfazed by any situation, comment, look, etc., and, until now, Rhea has never seen the shorter girl stirred by anything. Currently, she can see massive amounts of regrets and sadness strewn throughout her body language, though, and it’s a sight that’s too much for her to handle, so she turns away with her jaw shifting.

“Okay,” the whispered word comes with a nod that’s hardly seen.

Liv stares at her, looking like she wants to say something more, but, instead, only awkwardness filters through the space between them. Rhea decides to bite the bullet for the both of them; things will only get better with effort to  _ make  _ them better.

“Can I see you later?”

“I’m seeing Ruby and Sarah.”

She makes a popping sound with her lips upon impact of the sharp retort, a pang of jealousy being just another blow to the night’s previously light attitude. This morning, with Liv waking by her side and peppering kisses along her neck, she was on top of the world. Now, she’s left with muttering, “Alright,” to the girl who takes the hat off her head. 

Her fingers run through her hair to fix it, then she looks at the hat as if she’s deciding what to do. Cautiously, she hands it to Rhea who can’t find the strength to say anything. All she’s left to do is grasp the hat, balling it in her fist, and Liv gives her a final nod.

“See you.”

“Yeah,” Rhea mutters with a crestfallen heart, but the word doesn’t make it out of her sore throat.

And, once she’s alone, she realizes that it wasn’t most painful when she heard Liv’s voice crack, or when that rejection swirled in her eyes, or when she brushed off the idea of seeing each other later. It wasn’t when their first argument came to fruition, or when she started to realize that she fucked up.

It was when Liv walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeet, sorry, I couldn't help myself from a little angst. BUT, don't worry; I'm good at picking up the pieces and I promise I'd never leave you feeling unfulfilled. We still have three parts to go, and I think they're worth it.
> 
> Side note: Obviously, as a fan, it's hard to gauge how these superstars truly feel behind the scenes, but I've always been intrigued in the idea of them having to separate their personal lives and work-lives when they're practically in character 24/7, even sometimes on social media. So, for the last few parts, we'll see both sides of it (A.K.A. staying true to character or staying true to natural reactions), and we'll find a happy medium. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Approximately twenty hours later and Liv hasn’t spoken a word to her. No “Hello,” or “Hi,” or “How are you?” or “I’m sorry,” or even “I’m done with you.” 

For the sake of her heart and general sanity, Rhea almost wishes she’d hear that last one ━ or  _ anything  _ along the lines of a definitive decision on how they’re going to move past this.

Before yesterday, the world was peachy and the future was bright. Hell, Liv even had Rhea daydreaming about what their new connection could possibly mean for them. Maybe not in a “shit, I’m ready to marry you” type of way, but, typically, how they could evolve, how they could start rooming together, wake up together, eat together, work together, and go to bed together.

And that’s never been her; Rhea has never been one to settle down in any sense of the word, and she’s never been one to plan based on emotions, feelings, or hunches. She  _ certainly  _ never planned based on a single person, either. Still, Liv broke that mold. No, scratch that; she  _ destroyed  _ that mold and Rhea’s typical way of dealing with her feelings. Liv is important to her, and unlike anyone else she’s dealt with in the past. Rhea doesn’t even care about admitting it or trying to deny it anymore; she knows Liv is important to her, and she knows the girl has a violent hold on her heart. 

This time, she doesn’t care about escaping that hold, and instead revels in it. Nowadays, it’s a typical feeling. It’s become her normal. 

So, here she sits in the front seat of her car, staring at her phone’s blank screen and constantly hoping for a text. She wants to get back to that normal, and she wishes they could erase the past day and simply hug it out, kiss it out,  _ whatever. _

She recalls the day Hunter told her she’d be moving up to RAW as the partner of Liv. She remembers the way she blinked at the information before putting on a brave smile that, if it spoke, said, “Whatever you say, boss, but this is a weird idea.” 

Of course, there’s always a method to his madness, so maybe she should blame this on him. After all, he clearly had an inkling about what the duo could accomplish together if they cooperated, but he failed to realize what they could destroy if they fell apart ━ like two tops spinning at their highest speeds, dancing in the same rhythm, until something goes awry and they crash into each other. They stop spinning after the collision, and there’s no more momentum.

Up until now, they’ve been unstoppable. Rhea, herself, has felt on top of the world, chomping at the bit for more competition, however it’s not the reason why she’s been so high on adrenaline. Her reason has been Liv, and the fact that she’s no longer that lone wolf. Her reason is that she’s been able to share the ring with someone who’s become an essential piece of her puzzle, someone to back her up with an opposing personality. 

Someone who people love, and she can happily say she does, too.

And perhaps, deep down, that’s someone ━ or  _ something  _ ━ she’s always wanted. 

_ “Things will only get better with effort to make them better.” _

Her jaw shifts, and, suddenly, she gets an idea. With desperate motion, she reaches into her bag and rifles through it with squinted eyes, eventually pulling out one of those infamous, blue Jolly Ranchers and popping it into her mouth. She waits a few minutes while assessing her surroundings, musing,  _ “The things I do for you, Liv,”  _ before rolling her eyes at herself for being so drunk on  _ whatever  _ feeling this is.

Nonetheless, when she’s finished chewing the final bits of candy, she heads onto Instagram and posts a black screen with white writing onto her story:

_ “In case anyone missed it last night…” _

The next piece of her Instagram story is posted a minute or so after, being a selfie with her blue tongue sticking out, tagged with Liv’s account handle. The picture opposes her normal characterization, silly and casual, also proud. 

Quite frankly, looks like something she meant to post to her personal account away from the fans’ eyes. Although normal company rules suggest that they can break character via social media, she’s always been someone to hold her in-ring persona close to her heart; if she wants to break character and relax, it’s when no one’s around to see ━ or no strangers, at least.

It’s a last-ditch attempt at getting Liv’s attention and it’s clear as day. Actually, she  _ hopes  _ it is, and hopes the girl can tell she’s making a genuine effort to patch things up. She knows she should apologize, primarily because, although she has different views from Liv when it comes to work, she also understands that her own beliefs shouldn’t force the shorter girl to change hers. They can work together, whether or not they’re romantically involved. That’s what business is, right?

Rhea sighs at the reminder, slowly shaking her head and staring at her phone. As the views go up, Liv’s name is nowhere to be found, and no text comes. She pokes at herself to be patient, to simply shift focus elsewhere and relax until she’s out of the doghouse. The distraction of working out hardly helped, though, and that’s normally her go-to. She’s at a loss.

With her hope slipping, she decides it’s best on driving back to the hotel where she can comfortably put a pillow over her face and not think anymore. Maybe she’ll even be able to take a nap, or clear her thoughts through whatever cathartic action.

The drive isn’t long. In fact, it’s nearly three minutes before she’s pulling into the parking lot and sneaking into the lobby. Her feet drag across the floor, paying no attention to anyone or anything around her as she heads straight for the elevator tucked into a wall away from the hotel’s mainspace.

A chiming ding causes her to slip her phone into her pocket as she’d been holding it, and she slides into the metal box before hitting her floor’s number. She begins getting her keycard out, flipping it between her fingers as the elevator stops on another floor, ready to let a new hotel guest through its doors.

At Rhea’s surprise, it’s not just any guest, and a familiar blonde hesitates before getting into the elevator to conduct the world’s most awkward ride to her floor. Liv leans against the wall, somewhat facing her but not paying attention, as Rhea tries to keep her eyes on the lit-up floor number.

“Nice Instagram story.”

Liv’s voice makes her heart jump. She looks up to see the girl’s eyes staring right at her ━ or  _ through  _ her ━ with no smile on her face. Rhea’s lips are still a faint shade of blue from her selfie stunt, and she licks them at the reminder. It isn’t until that action that Liv actually shows her a weak, sad smile, just as the elevator dings to signify that they’ve reached Rhea’s floor.

Rhea tries pleading with her to follow fully through body language, pausing briefly before actually stepping over the elevator’s threshold, only to stand on the carpet outside while staring at Liv.

It’s a silent request that Liv understands, but she shakes her head with shimmering eyes. Her finger reaches for the button to close the doors sooner, likely out of defense so she doesn’t have to witness Rhea constantly resembling a kicked puppy, but her finger only hovers over the button.

Still in the same spot, Rhea waits for more. She stares at Liv whose eyes avoid hers, right up until the moment where the other girl decides to use a new form of defense, and that defense is actually offense.

“I’m happy you learned it’s okay to break character sometimes.”

It makes Rhea frown more than she has in a while. Conflicted, confused, hurt, angry, you name it. And, honestly, she tries her best to get out some counterattack against Liv’s icy remark, even with a curt “Wait, hold up,” but it’s too late.

With that same, chiming ding, she’s left staring at her angry reflection in the elevator’s mirrored doors.


	9. Chapter 9

Her adrenaline comes in waves. Growing, heightening, climaxing, tapering off, and crashing. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

All the while, she sits in the stiff hotel armchair within her room, a bottle of beer on the small, glass table next to her. Through a mixture of irritation and anxiousness, her leg bounces as she sits, and she curses herself for not being able to focus on anything except Liv  _ fucking  _ Morgan. 

It’s been two hours since the two girls crossed paths, meaning it’s been two hours since Liv decided the best course of action would be to send Rhea reeling with an unsympathetic jab.

Initially, when Rhea got back to her room, she paced for a good thirty minutes. How dare Liv use her work diligence against her. How dare she be flat-out angry and upset that Rhea is dedicated to her craft. Isn’t that what they’re supposed to do? Aren’t they supposed to be diligent and dedicated, willing to push any and every feeling aside just to get the job done?

God, it’s all so fucked.

It’s even more fucked that Rhea just feels…  _ sad.  _ Incomplete, even. Her anger is only able to last so long against the other blonde, lingering just enough to give her a bad taste in her mouth before those memories of the nights they’ve shared smash through her resolve, making her eyes water. She already misses those nights, how close they’d lie together, and how…  _ fuck. _

She swallows hard.

Despite Liv being the one who fired the first, major ━ and  _ only  _ ━ shot, Rhea still wants to apologize. She knows that, somehow, she made the girl feel insignificant, or unimportant, or second fiddle to her career. That was never her intention ━ not one bit.

It’s just that, from the very beginning, Rhea has had a firm grasp on the rules of only breaking character when they’re  _ not  _ in front of a live audience. On television, that’s the rule. That’s business. 

Stay in character. Live the character.

Her eyes close firmly when she remembers Liv’s words:  _ “I… did what I thought Liv, the character, would do.” _

Still, Rhea wonders if that’s true, or if Liv didn’t have an exact explanation for it until she pulled one from thin air. She doesn’t want to blame the girl, or accuse her of lying, but the clear hesitation at the beginning of her answer did her no favors. 

Her hand grasps the cool bottle of beer, raising it and pressing its rim to her lips. She takes a long sip before putting it down, entirely straight-faced and feeling like her ass is going numb against the cushion beneath her. 

A light gets her attention as her phone receives a notification, an immediate wave of hope coursing through her veins and making her heart jump until she realizes that it’s only an Instagram alert. Nevertheless, she opens it to see a picture of Liv with Ruby and Sarah, and her jaw shifts.

That short spurt of hopefulness from seconds prior slowly turns cold and jealous. She wonders if Liv is doing it purposely, driving to get underneath her skin by showing off the fun she’s having ━  _ without  _ her. Paranoia isn’t regulatory for Rhea, though, so she shakes her head and ignores it.

For whatever reason, her body feels tired. It’s not her normal tired, no, but it’s chilling and makes her bones ache. Though she’s happy she didn’t have to travel today, it’s been no better dealing with what’s happened over the course of the past twenty-four hours. Truly, she wishes she was merely dealing with jetlag instead of fresh heartbreak, but, instead, she’s stuck sulking. Instead, she’s stuck being irritated and regretful, but also pining.  _ Always  _ pining. 

Another notification lights up her screen, this time giving her that peak of hope that actually sticks around when she sees a text from Liv screaming to be opened. Her motions are hesitant, but, once she unlocks the message to see  _ “Can I come over?”  _ written in a chat bubble, her fingers instantly move to type back.

Tonight, she doesn’t care about being tactful or pretending to be neither here nor there; she wants Liv to know that she’s still here, and she wants her to know that they need to talk about it. Admittedly, on the other hand, she wishes she could reject the proposal and say she’s busy, or tired, or simply too angry. She wishes she could give Liv a taste of her own medicine by writing back, “Please let me walk away right now.”

Instead, she sends the girl a single  _ “Please.” _

She doesn’t say “Yes” ━ she says, “Please.”

Her heart begins to drum in suspense, and she’s about to freshen up when there’s a knock at the door. Instantly, her mouth turns downward into a confused frown, and she shuffles over to the peep-hole to see Liv standing outside. The door is opened a second later, Rhea still appearing dumbfounded at how quickly she’s arrived, almost as if she had been leaning against the hallway wall when she sent her that text.

“Hey,” Liv is first to speak, voice raspy.

“Hey,” it’s the same tone, and, at first, they just stare at each other with the desire to speak through eye contact instead of actual words, but, soon, Rhea lets her pass into the room.

She locks the door before leaving her hand against the barrier, not ready to turn around just yet as she asks, “Did you have fun with your friends?” with a small amount of jealousy strewn within.

“Did you want me to?”

Rhea turns around, coming face to face with Liv who stands in the middle of the room, a good amount of space between them.

“Yeah,” she says, now a shade of irritation to her overall demeanor. “Whether or not you’re happy with  _ me,  _ you still deserve to be happy with others.”

The kindness of her words seems to stun but sadden Liv, particularly judging by the way she bows her head and takes a deep breath.

“I aimed low earlier, and I’m sorry,” the shorter girl practically talks to the floor. “When I made that comment about breaking character,” her eyes lift to meet Rhea’s. 

“Yeah, you kinda did.”

“I’ve never been good with handling rejection,” the confession is quiet but honest. “It’s not an excuse, I know, but… it’s a reflex.”

“But I didn’t reject you,” Rhea suddenly pleads, mainly with her eyes despite her words being similarly strong. “Liv, I’m so happy when I’m with you, you need to know that. Even when I’m not smiling out in that ring, I’m so,  _ so  _ happy that I get to fight alongside you.”

“I know,” Liv’s eyes water, and Rhea wants nothing more than to approach so she can engulf her in a hug. “Me too.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Because the difference between you and I is that, when I go out there, I’m still me. I’m still the same person you’re talking to right now. It’s not just a character to me, okay?” her words go in a circle, not knowing how to explain better. “Liv Morgan  _ is _ me, and I’m so beyond proud of it.”

She’s given silence in return, but also attentiveness.

“You? You’re…”

“ _ The _ Rhea Ripley?” this time, it’s Rhea, herself, saying it both jokingly and seriously, and Liv chuckles a little ━ albeit sadly.

“Not in a bad way,” Liv says, “and I’m sorry I implied that it was.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” the following laugh is broken. “We’re so different. I  _ live  _ Liv Morgan while you put on your best Rhea Ripley face and kick ass out there before we get back behind that curtain and you look at me like you’re looking at me now. All…  _ soft _ .”

Rhea wishes she could deny it, but instead she tilts her chin downward to look at her feet. Her arms cross. 

“So, when you told me that the other day, I guess it just reminded me that, to you, it’s just a cold character without feelings, and I’m not worth breaking that personality,” her words cause Rhea to purse her lips. “I’m standing next to you, as myself, and you’re pretending to be some badass that can’t be bothered by whatever she feels. Not even a little bit. No distractions, or…  _ living _ . No pun intended,” it’s muttered. 

“But it’s our job to━”

“━keep in character, I know,” her words are nearly cried out, this time, sounding pained and stressed. “Which is why I don’t know why I’m  _ this  _ upset, and I’m  _ sorry _ . This has never—” Liv stops herself, taking a breath. “I don’t know.”

There’s a confusing few ticks of the clock that follow, and Liv shakes her head before turning around to walk further into the room. Rhea can see her wiping her eyes until her chin raises and she’s staring at the ceiling. Like Rhea was earlier, she can tell the shorter girl is at a loss.

“Liv, you’re worth more than that,” Rhea breaks the silence, taking a few steps closer while uncrossing her arms. “I’m still learning this, you know. You’ve been here for longer than I have. I’m still figuring out what I can do and what I can’t.”

“I’m not expecting you to do anything,” Liv claims tiredly, turning around. “This whole thing’s just been childish,” she’s annoyed with herself, and it’s evident. “I should’ve never said anything, especially when I can’t explain it.”

“That’s not true,” the disagreement is gentle. “You feel what you feel, and I’m trying to understand.”

“I know you are,” it comes with a nod, “but it’s okay if you don’t.”

Again, Rhea falls silent, and Liv takes the time to gather herself. By the way her eyes bore into the carpet between them, Rhea can tell the girl is trying to put her words and thoughts in order before speaking again. It’s only confirmed when Liv speaks again, careful with how she explains. 

“I guess it’s…” she rubs her lips together, then starts a new sentence. “My feelings don’t get brushed under the rug when we go through that curtain. The energy I use? Mine. Personality? Mine. Yeah, I’m a little more low-key out of the ring, but what I show out there all comes from the same place. It always has. In my opinion, that’s what makes a character authentic. That ‘character’ is the one constant in my life that’s stuck around. After things I’ve gone through in the past, it’s… my  _ life _ ,” she swallows hard, lips trembling. “For you, it’s business. It’s different.”

Rhea looks down at her hands, distracting herself.

“And I understand most of the girls and guys in that locker room look at it the same as you do. That’s okay. But…  _ me _ ? Maybe I’m just a special breed. Maybe I really  _ am  _ the oddball.”

“That’s not a bad thing.”

“It’s childish.”

“Stop saying that,” she approaches slowly but with purpose, putting her hands on Liv’s shoulders. “Being different is nothing to stress over. If you want to keep calling yourself childish, then fine. But, still, it’s not a bad thing.”

She watches the girl put her tongue to her inner cheek, like she wants to disagree but can’t find the heart to because, deep down, she knows it’s the truth; a little childish personality is nothing to be ashamed of, and we often should embrace it so we don’t lose sight of what’s important in life: living.

“You’re right, okay?” Rhea doesn’t let her partner’s mind wander too far. “You’re right that Liv is… you. Through and through.”

The way the girl’s eyes lower makes Rhea know she’s thinking that it’s a bad thing, but, instead of jumping to reassure her with a rapid addition, she smiles slowly. Liv then eyes her carefully, her mouth in a tiny pout.

“And I love it,” Rhea confesses, her smile soft and knowing.

She’s faced with puppy-dog eyes that shimmer with swirls of self-conflict, regret, but desire to understand and grow. That’s enough of an acceptance to make Rhea smile more, but the expression fades as she leans in and presses a kiss to Liv’s temple while wrapping her in a hug.

“Thank you,” Liv whispers against her shirt, and Rhea hums. “Would you mind if I, um… stayed here tonight?”

“I━no, of course you’re welcome to stay the night,” the question catches her so off guard that her eyes go wide when she stammers, but she can feel Liv chuckle against her as they’re still tight in their embrace, and that’s enough to ease her nerves.

Nothing like the feeling of things being back to normal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that THAT is over with, we can wrap up this story in the next part and put a pretty little bow on top. Not to spoil much, but we'll finally see the two of them working together, and a little more progression/satisfaction. I'm excited, and, once again, thank you for coming on this little journey with me!


	10. Chapter 10

One, two.

One, two.

One.

They’re roughly ten minutes into their no disqualification, no count-out, pay-per-view match when Ruby tries pinning Liv multiple times, one after the other. To the crowd, it looks like she’s trying to put the match to bed before it  _ really  _ gets going, despite the various chair-shots already exchanged between teams. Rhea took the most of them, currently twisting in pain outside of the ring as her partner gets beaten to a pulp against the canvas. The audience boos at Sarah and Ruby, louder than usual with their distaste for the two women. Again, it makes Rhea wonder what her alignment is, or where it’s drifting to, but that’s a thought for another time.

So far, the match has gone according to plan, Rhea and Liv making their entrance in front of a thunderous crowd ripe and ready for the rest of the show. If you asked Rhea, she’d admit that it’s been intimidating, particularly because, although they’re on the lower side of the card, they were knocked out of the pre-show spot. That has to mean something good, right? 

Either way, it’s put a massive amount of pressure on her shoulders, and she’s sure Liv’s felt it, too. Sure, the other girl has had her fair share of pay-per-view matches on the main card prior to tonight, but they were always done with her fellow Riots. Tonight, she’s walking alongside a rookie ━ in the grand scheme of things ━ and it must be just as new for her. 

Still, they’ve made it work, managing to pull off an array of new tagging moves together, like when Sarah was sent against the corner turnbuckle and stayed there, leaving Rhea to kneel down with her back exposed so Liv could use it as a platform to frog-splash onto her former teammate. Or, in another instance, when Rhea ran toward the ropes and slingshotted herself at Liv who waited, spun them around, and, with a transfer of speed/strength combination, the shorter girl jumped through the ropes to take down their opponents. 

It’s all worked well to their advantage, and everything has gone smoothly.

That is, until Rhea catches sight of Sarah and Ruby whipping Liv into the metal ringpost as planned, yet suddenly there’s a minor,  _ unplanned  _ gash just above her eye. Minor or not, she feels her heart rate spike at the small trickle of blood against the girl’s eyebrow, and her adrenaline shoots back upward to recover from when she was beaten onto the ground.

Ruby sends Liv back into the ring by tossing her through the bottom rope, getting ready to follow suit and attempt another pin, but her attention is caught by her partner getting speared through the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area. Her mouth just drops open, even more so when Rhea gets up within seconds and marches over to where she stands, an angry look in her eye.

Rhea knows that Ruby is aware it’s for show, but, for a second or two before the impending hit, she wonders if Liv’s former teammate believes her fury is sincere.

All is lost when Rhea sends Ruby into the steel steps, however, before she stands over the girl’s body with a heavily breathing chest and a mind that nearly forgets why she snapped, in the first place: Liv.

She heads back into the ring as the ref looks around at the carnage, not needing to do much since there aren’t any count-outs. On the canvas, Rhea kneels in front of Liv who sits in the center, and, without thinking, she brushes some stray hairs away from the girl’s forehead.

_ The  _ Rhea Ripley looks concerned.

Admittedly, she is. Although they’d planned for Liv to look aloof due to the bump, Rhea clearly underestimated how genius her girlfriend is at selling hits, and it’s almost as if the shorter girl is genuinely woozy. It seems authentic, and it’s  _ scary. _

Suddenly, Rhea understands the concept of what Liv explained the other night. Suddenly, she’s not looking at Liv, her partner, but Liv, her girlfriend. She’s feeling authentic,  _ real  _ pain at the thought of her girlfriend being injured, and she can’t stop her mind from going into overdrive. The crowd noise even fades into the back of her mind, and all she can do is focus on the girl in front of her, and how they’ve put themselves back together over the course of the past week. 

_ “I’ve missed this,” Liv speaks against her lips, smiling with a shade of deviousness before her mouth drifts down the side of Rhea’s neck with a variety of kisses and bites.  _

_ Soon, they’re face to face again, nose to nose and breathing deeply with Liv straddling the girl below her. _

_ “I missed being in bed with you. In every sense,” she continues, pecking her bottom lip. _

_ “We didn’t talk for, like… a day.” _

_ “You say it like a day isn’t too much for you.” _

_ Rhea smiles at her squinted eyes and pointed attitude, then confesses, “It was too much. I’m kidding.” _

_ “Better be.” _

_ “You’re the one who wasn’t talking to me.” _

_ “Oh, you’re really going to bring that up?” her back straightens out and she sits along Rhea’s torso, fingertips dancing across the skin of her stomach as her breathing hitches. _

_ The girl pressed against the mattress can’t take her seriously when they’re like this, not to mention the tickling sensation on her stomach begins to be too much, so she seals her lips instead of responding ━ until Liv tilts her head to the side expectantly, that is. _

_ “No, I’m not, I’m sorry,” it’s sheepish as she goes back to her attempt at controlling her own breathing, and, meanwhile, she also tries her best to keep her eyes level with Liv’s because she knows, otherwise, she’d be done for.  _

_ The blonde on top of her doesn’t let up on her staring, however, and it leaves Rhea to swallow hard in nervousness before she’s faced with softer, more innocent eyes. Instantly, she melts against the bed she’s pinned to, and her skin feels warmer than it did seconds prior. _

_ “I missed you, too,” Rhea confesses when she can’t stop the words from spilling off her tongue, but her voice is so quiet that it hardly comes out, and, in the end, its strain means more than anything else ever has. _

_ It means more. Dare they say it means everything. _

_ It’s a weighted statement and they both can tell, in the end. In fact, it’s so weighted that, suddenly, they want to get away from whatever emotion begins to stir within both of them, just to get lost in another. Soon, Rhea mutters, “Come here,” as Liv happily complies, slowly leaning down to kiss her again. _

She blinks to escape the captivation of Liv’s gaze, and she can tell that, now, her partner is the one looking concerned; it isn’t like Rhea to become to vacant-faced in the midst of a heated match. They can’t afford to reverse roles right now, though, so they both have to refocus. 

Except, this time isn’t like every other time, and Rhea decides to try something new in surprise to both herself and Liv. Instead of staying in stiff character, she allows herself to wholeheartedly  _ feel.  _ Maybe Liv was onto something when she explained that she lives as her character and vice versa. Maybe it’s time Rhea taps into her mindset when it comes to blending the two worlds and bringing a sense of humanity to how she operates in the ring. Maybe it’s okay to cross over from realm to realm sometimes, and to acknowledge that risks can often reap rewards ━ not always warrant punishment. 

With shaking hands yet a foreign gentleness from the uprising star known as Rhea Ripley, she puts her hands on Liv’s cheeks while checking on her head further, thumbs stroking her skin. 

“You good, babe?” she mouths to Liv who manages to nod ━ albeit lamely.

The next course of action is more relative to her normal, standing up and pulling Liv into the corner of the ring before kneeling in front of her and lecturing her to stay put. Although it’s less tender than the moment that happened just seconds ago, the way she glances back over her shoulder at Liv, one last time, portrays more than enough for the crowd to notice and latch onto. 

This time, she  _ hopes  _ they noticed, and she hopes they latch onto it.

Within seconds of her hopping onto the floor, she’s met with a kendo stick to the midsection, courtesy of Ruby who was hiding near the bottom of the ring apron. It’s followed by a metal chair to her back ━ this time, Sarah’s doing ━ and a flurry of interchangeable weapon hits, one after another. She takes them all like a champ, though she’s eventually face down on the ground outside of the ring, practically curled into a ball.

Then, the familiar sound of kendo stick shots rings her ears again, but she isn’t the sad victim. She rolls onto her side to keep an eye on transpiring events, watching Liv take on both of her former teammates with swift shots to their shoulders, forearms, midsections, and thighs, going back and forth between the two girls as the fans eat it up with a “Yes!” chant.

To escape, Sarah rolls back into the ring while Liv continues to take Ruby out of the equation. With the end of the match in sight, Rhea follows Sarah through the ropes and, with the girl’s back turned, waits for her opening. She has her patented, sick smile on her face, head ducked slightly while waiting for the opportunity to strike.

Finally, it comes.

Finally, she takes out Sarah with her own version of a Liv Kick, all while her partner raises her arms outside of the ring in triumph because she knows. They all know. The fans  _ especially  _ know.

One, two, three.

Nearly  _ before  _ she stands up, with the crowd blasting around her, Liv all but tackles her. On contact, the girl’s legs wrap around Rhea’s torso as wrists cross behind her neck. For a moment, Rhea freezes and isn’t sure what she should do, her arms spread out like she’s too afraid to touch her clingy partner. Moreover, she claws her way to remain stone-faced to oppose Liv’s smile as their noses are mere inches apart, but it doesn’t work.

And she doesn’t want it to.

With an incredulously entertained head-shake and a smile, she wraps her arms around Liv and hugs her in the center of the ring, all while they’re cheered for. Just another milestone collected between the two of them, and another piece of victory for the dynamic duo who became such solid yet unlikely partners.

Truthfully, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Once Liv hops down, Rhea saunters over to the ropes and opens them for Liv in an emphasized, chivalrous manner, getting raised eyebrows but a content smile in return.

Their walk up the ramp is just as victorious as their actual win, Rhea feeling that massive pressure on her shoulders dwindle until it’s completely gone. No longer is she a main card, main roster pay-per-view virgin, but she’s successfully made a name for herself without sulking in the loneliness of having no one to share it with. She can’t even help the smile that’s flashed toward the arena when they’re standing in front of the LED board behind the main stage, seconds before they turn and pass through the curtain together.

Without a second to breathe, they’re greeted by multiple people once they make it backstage, one being Hunter, himself. There, Rhea’s nervousness resurfaces, and her back straightens as she and Liv are approached. His fatherly smile alleviates her anxiety, thankfully, and his voice is as kind as ever, all while giving them an individual round of applause. 

“Keep it up. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up,” his eyes speak volumes despite his words being so direct. “Both of you,” the comment comes with a spur-the-moment shade of knowingness. “Good job.” 

His approval means everything, and Liv is all too aware of how inspirational he’s been toward her girlfriend, so she slips in front of Rhea. She tilts her head to get the taller girl’s attention, silently asking if she’s okay or if she needs a moment, but Rhea only chuckles slightly and bows her head through obvious bashfulness. 

Lacking notice, Liv gingerly reaches for her hand and Rhea allows herself to be pulled along through the hallway, only departing once they’re in a small, secluded room with the door enclosing them inside. 

Liv turns to her, wearing a smug grin, and Rhea wants to laugh.

“I know what you’re going to say,” she rolls her eyes, already smiling with her warm cheeks failing to let the expression disappear. 

“And what’s that?”

“‘ _ See, that wasn’t so hard,’ _ ” her mocking, bellowed words poke fun at Liv, but, opposing her normal reaction of leaving her mouth to fall open in faux offense, the girl slowly approaches.

“Actually,” Liv wraps her arms around Rhea’s neck, whispering, “I was going to say, ‘See, I knew we’d make it work.’”

It earns a beaming smile from Rhea, remembering their first conversation after the match that kick-started their teaming efforts. She remembers her doubt and scattered woes about the gimmick, and how she’d always been better off alone. She remembers not knowing the girl in front of her, and how she thought they were too opposite to be compatible in any sense. 

God, she was so wrong.

“We did, didn’t we?” it’s a quiet yet impactful admission ━ one that Liv matches her smile at before erasing their mirrored happiness by kissing her girlfriend, but only after she finds the strength to whisper back.

“Yeah, we did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I hope this was satisfying enough to be the end. I've had such a nice time writing this mini story after being away for so long. It's going to take a bit to get my writing identity back to where it was, but I'm working on it. I think this was a step in the right direction, especially because of the kind comments I've gotten about it that propelled me forward. They mean the world to me, no matter how big or small. 
> 
> So, thank you (again, and I'll never stop saying it) for coming on this ride with me. I never thought I'd write for such a random ship, if I'm being honest, but I think they have plenty stories to tell with just a little imagination. They're truly the dynamic duo, aren't they? 
> 
> Anyway, if you need me, I'll always be on Tumblr ("wwe-charlie"), or maybe you'll see me writing for more wrestling pairings in the future. :')

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on Tumblr (wwe-charlie)!


End file.
